Horner: 'We need to have every ounce of performance to be on the front row'

F1 News

horner before qualifying red bull verstappen
16 September 2023 at 13:36
  • GPblog.com

On the weekend that Red Bull Racing can clinch the constructors' championship, things are not going smoothly (yet). As in the first two practice sessions, drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez complained about their RB19. Verstappen particularly struggled with the upshifts.

Christian Horner commented to Sky Sports ahead of qualifying on Verstappen's problems: "It's all reliant on the software and the electrical settings, so it's all about tuning those. Hopefully we can give him [Max] an upshift and downshift in qualy. There's no reason why we shouldn't be able to sort it out."

Red Bull needs to hit the ground running

In Singapore, it is always important to start reasonably up front, as overtaking is difficult there during the Grand Prix. Horner commented: "We need every bit of performance - you can see it is very competitive here. It's what we expected. We are going to need to have every ounce of performance to be on the front row."," said the Red Bull Racing team boss.

In the closing third practice session, Verstappen complained that his RB was drifting, among other things. With all the problems, the Dutchman still finished in fourth place. Ferrari was fastest Saturday afternoon.